Last updated: October 13, 2026

The quick answer

Turkey will bar children under 15 from social media starting November 1, 2026, using a government age token, and teens aged 15 to 17 will get private-only accounts with no livestreaming, personalized ads or infinite scroll. Greece presented a similar under-15 bill on October 12 that is expected to take effect on January 1, 2027 if parliament approves it, so families in both countries should start preparing for age checks now.

What happened

Turkey’s parliament passed its child online-safety law in April, and the detailed rules that put it into practice were published in the country’s Official Gazette on October 10. They apply to social platforms operating in or accessible from Turkey from November 1. Platforms must stop under-15s from opening accounts, and existing users have until March 31, 2027 to verify their age, after which accounts belonging to under-15s are to be closed.

In Greece, ministers presented their bill on Monday, October 12. It goes to parliamentary committees this week, with a final vote scheduled for October 22. The core rule bans anyone who hasn’t turned 15 from social networking services such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, and the government is aiming for the rules to apply from January 1, 2027. Greece’s plan works within the EU’s Digital Services Act, with the national telecoms regulator EETT leading enforcement.

What changes: the rules side by side

	Turkey	Greece
Status	Law in force; implementing rules published October 10	Bill; final parliamentary vote scheduled October 22
Start date	November 1, 2026	Expected January 1, 2027
Minimum age	15	15
How age is checked	Token from the e-Devlet government portal confirming only whether the user is over 15 or 18	Age token, with Kids Wallet and Gov.gr Wallet expected to play the main role; platforms may use other compliant methods
Deadline for existing accounts	March 31, 2027	Not yet specified

Turkey’s rules go further than a simple age limit. For users aged 15 to 17, accounts must stay private, livestreaming and personalized advertising are banned, infinite-scroll feeds must be switched off, and direct messages can only come from accounts the teen follows. Platforms must also offer parental controls for screen time, settings and purchases, and give users a free appeal with human review if they’re wrongly flagged as underage.

Both countries describe their age checks as privacy-preserving: the platform receives a yes-or-no answer about the age threshold rather than a name, ID number or date of birth.

What families can do now

1. Talk to your child before the switch. If they’re under 15, explain that their accounts may be closed and agree on what happens to photos, chats and friends they want to keep in touch with.
2. Download what matters. Most platforms let you export your data, including photos and messages, from the account settings. Do it before any account is locked.
3. Set up government digital ID access. In Turkey, make sure the right family members can log in to e-Devlet. In Greece, check how Kids Wallet works and keep an eye on official announcements once the law passes.
4. Review settings for older teens. In Turkey, many of the new limits for 15- to 17-year-olds will be applied automatically. Use the time to go through privacy, messaging and purchase settings together.
5. Watch for scams. Expect fake “verify your age” messages and links. Only verify through the official government portal or the app’s own built-in flow, never through a link in an unexpected text or email.

For more on keeping teens safe with new tech, see our look at what Common Sense Media found about ChatGPT for teens.

Who is affected and who isn’t

• Affected: children and teens in Turkey from November 1, and in Greece if the bill passes. Adults in Turkey may also be asked to confirm their age, since platforms must verify existing accounts by March 2027.
• Visitors: Turkey’s rules include a passport-based token option for temporary visitors.
• Not directly affected: users in other countries. That said, these laws join a wider wave of age limits around the world, and platforms often roll out age-check tools more broadly once they’ve built them.

FAQ

Will platforms see my child’s ID?

According to both governments, no. The token is designed to confirm only whether a user meets the age threshold, without passing on a name or exact age.

What if an adult is wrongly flagged as underage?

In Turkey, a suspected underage account is suspended until it is verified again, and platforms must offer a free appeal with human review while keeping the account’s data intact.

Is Greece’s ban final?

Not yet. It still needs to pass parliament, with the vote scheduled for October 22. Details could change before then.

Sources

• MediaNama: Turkey bans social media for under-15s, restricts ads and algorithms for teenagers
• Arabian Post: Turkey mandates age checks under new social media ban
• Net Influencer: Türkiye bans social media for children under 15
• Euronews: Greece’s social media ban for under-15s, what you need to know
• Proto Thema: How Greece’s age verification will work